Executive Summary of Consultation Report

Voter turnout has been on the decline since the late 1970s. The impact of this trend is especially felt among low-income residents who are less likely to vote than higher income voters. Elected officials are more likely to make decisions in the interest of the people who elect them. This, in turn, contributes to a vicious cycle of disconnectedness and democratic deficit where people experiencing poverty may not see their concerns addressed, and become even less likely to vote.

To turn this trend around in Ottawa, the Coalition of Community Health and Resource Centres (CHRC) and City for All Women Initiative (CAWI) have joined together in a three year project to increase voter turnout in low-income neighbourhoods and among people living in poverty, in both urban and rural areas of the city. Making Votes Count Where We Live, funded by Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Catherine Donnelly Foundation, seeks to engage residents, community partners and governments in putting into place strategies to increase voter turnout and long-term civic engagement.